Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 328

November 23;   Acts 16:31;   105/260(II);   ‘Believe of Jesus’

Acts 16:31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Paul, in a vision, saw a man from Macedonia pleading with Paul for him to come to Macedonia to help them.  Paul and Silas, who was with him concluded that the Lord had called them to go to Macedonia.  Philippi was the chief city of Macedonia and Paul and Silas spent many days there.  In Philippi they met and stayed with a woman named Lydia and her household.  A slave girl, possessed with a spirit of divination, followed Paul and Silas, distracting them.  After several days, Paul who was greatly annoyed at the spirit in the woman, commanded it to leave her and it did.  The men that used the woman in ‘fortune telling,’ were furious that they could not use her in this area for profit any longer.  These men stirred up the authorities and had Paul and Silas arrested.  They were beaten with rods, had their clothes torn off, and they were thrown into the inner prison with their feet in stocks.  Were they discouraged?  Did they question the Lord, who sent them to Philippi, asking him why this was happening to them since they were doing His work?  No, they were praying and singing hymns to the Lord and the other prisoners were listening to them.  A supernatural earthquake shook the prison and opened all of the prison doors, yet the prisoners did not try to escape.  The jailer thought the prisoners did escape and was going to kill himself until Paul assured him that all of the prisoners were still in their cells.  The jailer fell at the feet of Paul and Silas and asked how to be saved.  They told him to believe on Jesus, who He was and the jailer and his family were saved.  Salvation comes in many wonderful ways.